Faerie Tale
by Tanya Lilac
Summary: A small collection of fairy tales rewritten for Neji and Tenten, Naruto and Hinata, Shikamaru and Ino.
1. ShikaIno: Sleeping Beauty

**Disclaimer: No, I never have and never will. That goes for all fairytales in this collection.**

**I decided to break these away from Bittersweet because it's a set. I could expand on these later, so please stay tuned!**

**This is the first of the fairy tale set that I'm writing… it's not that great, but it centres around the four main couples of Konoha; ShikaIno being the first. So, please, **

**Sleeping Beauty**

Nara Shikamaru is known by many names- Deer boy, the spiky haired one, pineapple head, the genius, lazy guy, 'troublesome' and (secretly, in some circles) Sleeping Beauty. Ino was, quite predictably, furious with the so-called 'secret' name, and tried – one so very fateful day- to take matters into her own hands.

It began with a little bit of research. Ino made her way to the library. It was one of Sakura's favourite places, Ino remembered, but she'd never really known why. It was just full of dusty old tomes that smelled like… old things like mushrooms.

"Sleeping Beauty… who wrote that anyway?" she muttered to herself.

"_Shh!_" the librarian scolded.

"Sorry!" The kunoichi whispered back. The staff were apparently very uptight.

Making her way to the children's book section, the kunoichi quickly skimmed all the titles until she came to one which read, 'Mother Goose Tales' by Charles Perrault. The first tale featured was, of course, Sleeping Beauty.

_At the christening of a long-wished-for princess, fairies invited as godmothers offered gifts of beauty, wit, grace, and musical talents. However, a wicked fairy who had been overlooked placed the princess under an enchantment as her gift, saying that, on reaching adulthood, she would prick her finger on a spindle and die._

_A good fairy, though unable to reverse the spell, altered its effect so that the princess, instead of dying, would fall asleep for a hundred years, until awakened by the kiss of a prince's son._

_The king forbade spinning on distaff or spindle, or the possession of one, upon pain of death, throughout the kingdom, but all in vain. When the princess was fifteen or sixteen she chanced to come upon an old woman in a tower of the castle, who was spinning. The Princess asked to try the unfamiliar task and the inevitable happened. The wicked fairy's curse was fulfilled. The good fairy returned and put everyone in the castle to sleep._

_Eventually, a prince arrived, and, hearing the story of the enchantment, braved the wood, which parted at his approach, and entered the castle. He trembled upon seeing the princess' beauty and fell on his knees before her. She woke up, then everyone in the castle woke to continue where they had left off._

_Secretly wed by the reawakened Royal almoner, the Prince continued to visit the Princess, who bore him two children, L'Aurore and Le Jour, which he kept secret from the Queen his mother, who was of an Ogre lineage. Once he had acceded to the throne, he brought the Princess and the children to his capital, which he then left in the regency of the Queen Mother, while he went to make war on his neighbor the Emperor Contalabutte, ("Count of The Mount")._

_The Ogre Queen sent the Princess Queen and the children to a house secluded in the woods, and directed her cook there to prepare the boy for her dinner, with a sauce Robert. The humane cook substituted a lamb, which satisfied the Ogre Queen, who demanded the girl, but was satisfied with a young goat prepared in the same excellent sauce. When the Ogre Queen demanded that he serve up the Princess Queen, she offered her throat to be slit, so that she might join the children she imagined were dead. There was a tearful secret reunion in the cook's little house, while the Ogre Queen was satisfied with a hind prepared with sauce Robert. Soon she discovered the trick and prepared a tub in the courtyard filled with vipers and other noxious creatures. The King returned in the nick of time and the Ogress, being discovered, threw herself into the pit she had prepared and was consumed, and everyone else lived happily ever after._

Ino slammed the book shut, trying to erase the vividly drawn pictures from her mind.

"That was incredibly depressing." She sighed. "I should have just stuck to the Disney version."

"_Shh!_" The librarian snapped.

"Yeah _WHATEVER!_" Ino snapped back and slid the book back onto the shelf and stormed out of the library, to go and consult a trusted advisor who went by the name of Haruno Sakura.

Shikamaru was playing a game of shogi against himself when the doorbell rang. He answered, and Ino stood in the doorframe, wearing a slinky purple gown and lips that reminded him of roses… and tasted very much like strawberries, Shikamaru realised a moment later as sparks raced through his body. They all originated from his mouth (or Ino's, rather) and spread the warmth down to his fingertips.

Just as she had abruptly begun, Ino broke away after several long, long, _long_ moments, and the both of them were blushing, and a little out of breath.

"So?" Ino said, looking at him expectantly.

Shikamaru looked back at her.

"So, what?"

"How was it?"

"How was what? The kiss?"

"Yes!" Ino said impatiently.

"It was… nice." The youth replied, struggling for words.

Ino pouted.

Shikamaru gulped.

"So… you're not particularly inspired to stop lazing around?"

Shikamaru frowned, still quite puzzled.

"I still don't understand what this is about," he confessed. "But would you like to come inside?"

Shikamaru might not have been inspired to stop lazing around… but he couldn't refuse Ino anything when she used the strawberry lipgloss.

**enjoy.**

**-The End-**


	2. NaruHina: Snow White

**Snow White**

"You have, for the third time, failed a mission, increasing the village's debts! You are well on the way to being demoted, Naruto!" The Fifth Hokage's wrath was inescapable. "The client has sued for your clumsy mistakes and all you have to say for that is-"

"- It wasn't my fault that she was so fa-"

Before he could finish the word, he was thrown (quite literally) out of the Hokage Tower, and landed, sprawled, in the dust below. Sighing, he decided to head for Ichiraku Ramen- it was time for some comfort food.

Sakura was sitting at the counter, reading a book as she idly ate her meal.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted, but Sakura noted that he lacked his usual enthusiasm.

"Hey, Naruto- what's wrong?" She asked. "Are you okay?" she put down her book on sedatives and looked at him.

"It's nothing; I just got an eviction notice today, and the old lady up there yelled at me for that failed mission with the opera singer."

Ayame and Sakura sighed sympathetically.

"Your first bowl's on the house today, Naruto." She said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Ayame-nee-chan!" the blonde said enthusiastically, as he began to eat his meal. Finding it a little bland, he sprinkled some pepper onto it.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto began as he ate. "What's that book about?"

"Mmm… nothing much, just things about sedatives and natural medicinal painkillers and the like." She shrugged. "It's just a bit of light reading."

Naruto stared at the thick tome. It was about a hand's width thick. Light reading didn't come close to whatever was in that book.

"Whatever you say then." He muttered.

"Right now, I'm looking at this one untraceable herb which suppresses the appetite and makes them unconscious…"

"How is that important?" Naruto asked.

"Well…" Sakura looked at her watch and gasped.

"Oh I forgot! I have to go and train! See you later, Naruto!" she left the table, stowing some things into her bag, including her book.

Naruto, finding himself suddenly alone, rested his head on his hand as he stared at the menu.

"Ayame-nee-chan?" he called out. "What would you do if you were in my position?"

"Well," Ayame said, coming out from the back room. "I'd keep working, but stay at a friend's house, or try negotiating with the landlord about the eviction. Do you know why you're getting kicked out?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I can't pay my rent because I kept getting fined for failed missions."

Ayame sighed and shook her head as she handed her next customer a menu.

"Naruto…" she said. "You need to start being a bit more organised."

Naruto was already gone when she turned around, and frowned- his bowl was still half full or empty- whichever way you saw it.

------

Hinata was jogging briskly through Konoha, her bangs fluttering away from her face, the cool air on her skin. She smiled, and looked beside her- Hanabi was tiring, she could see, so she waved, as if to say, "you don't need to keep going if you don't want to," and Hanabi smiled but pressed on until they reached the ramen stand.

Hinata looked for the distinctive blonde, but he was no where to be seen. Hanabi ordered an iced tea, and sipped at it, offering some to Hinata.

"Hinata-san!"

Hinata looked up at the sound of Ayame's voice.

"Good morning, Ayame-san." She greeted softly.

"Have you seen Naruto? I'm worried about him?"

"Why? What's wrong?" she asked.

"He's been having a bad day; I was figuring no one would be better at cheering him up," she winked, and a rosy blush swept across Hinata's cheeks.

"I'll look later," she said, and waved farewell to Hanabi, who would be meeting with her team to train later.

Continuing on her jog through the park, Hinata came across a distinctive orange jacket lying on the ground. She picked it up, and looked around. Ten metres ahead, lying on a park bench, Naruto appeared to be sleeping.

Cautiously, Hinata approached him, and gently touched his arm, trying to shake him awake. He didn't respond, so she shook him a bit harder, but he didn't move.

"Naruto-kun!" she said in his ear, and repeated herself. "Naruto-kun, can you hear me?"

Sighing, Hinata activated her Byakugan and checked his body for signs of poison. He was not, as she had thought, asleep, but unconscious. Checking his pulse, she found it slowing and faint. Biting her lip and blushing, she gathered her courage and pinched his nose and brought her lips down to his. When nothing happened for a few minutes, she did something Neji had once done to her when she'd been on the verge of fainting. The jolt from it had energised her, and she'd continued fighting.

Forming a seal, her hands became engulfed in chakra and, in a deft move; she touched a tenketsu on the nape of his neck.

Naruto bolted up, and Hinata gave a cry, trying to start back, but the damage had been done- if it could even be called damage.

Naruto's lips were gently resting upon hers.

They both froze, unsure of what to do next.

Naruto could feel the heat from her cheeks that were currently glowing a predictable shade of red.

At that moment, however, a certain sixteen year old Hyuuga walked past and froze.

"Hinata-sama?"

Hinata turned and blushed profusely.

"Neji-nii-san?" she squeaked.

"Please detach yourself from Naruto."

Hinata instantly did so, much to her chagrin, and Neji approached Naruto, who paled and gulped. Hinata grabbed Neji's arm, and pulled him away from Naruto.

"Neji! You don't have to do this! I can look after myself. Besides, aren't you meant to be meeting Tenten for something?"

"She'd understand." Neji said dismissively.

Hinata gave him a sceptical look.

"Touch her again, and I will be forced to make sure you never do it again."

"We both know how things will turn out if I fight you," Naruto replied smugly.

"Thanks for that."

Hinata smiled sweetly.

"Anytime."

------

Meanwhile, Shizune met with Sakura.

"Good job. I take it that Naruto was given the herb?"

Sakura nodded proudly.

"Affirmative."

"The landlord?"

"The rent was taken care of." Sakura said.

"Very well. Mission success."

**-The End-**

**If anyone is having trouble comprehending how each story kind of relates to the original fairytale, tell me, and I'll explain.**

**LOL SHIZUNE'S A FAIRY GODMOTHER. **


	3. NejiTen: Beauty and the Beast

**Beauty and the Beast**

Legend has it that a beast resides in Konoha. Well, other than the green beasts of Konoha- or blue. Which ever colour it is. It is a beast of a different kind- it is one of the antisocial varieties, cutting down any suits of courtship and things of the like, because while it is so handsomely attractive on the outside, this beast has the personality of a monster. This antisocial beast went by the name of Hyuuga Neji- the prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan, a complete jerk in some people's opinions because while being so unfairly good looking on the outside, his cruelty was just too sharp for most to bear. The point was, anyway, that he was alone, and suffering on the inside- not much, but just a little, acknowledged the stormy night he was confronted by Shizune...

"Hyuuga Neji!" Shizune came out of the shadows in her disguise.

"Shizune-san?" Neji inquired coolly.

Shizune crossed her arms and huffed.

"Do you want to know what I have to say or not?"

"Please, go ahead." Neji replied, somewhat bemused.

"You have been cursed!" she shrieked, and a lightning bolt illuminated her face, and Neji recoiled.

She threw a rose at him.

"You are destined to remain alone and unloved… unless you find a young woman and fall in love with her by your eighteenth birthday… or I will find a poison that will give you pox for life!" she cackled. "However, if this rose is destroyed before you fall in love, you will get the pox anyway!" she cackled once again, and ran off, and Neji sighed, turning the rose in his hands. It was red, and the prodigy shrugged before throwing it over his shoulder. His birthday was in three days anyway- there was no way he would even try.

The next day however, he woke to find the rose on his bedside table, with a note from Shizune.

"I mean it Neji," the note read. "Start socialising or I'll get the Hokage to force you to!"

Neji sighed, and threw out the note, keeping the rose… just for good measure, the prodigy said. Not because he was freaked out by a woman with nothing to do in her spare time.

That day, Neji was relieved when he received a mission. It involved simply capturing a target for interrogation, and then releasing him. Tenten would help with the capture, and Neji would handle the interrogation. It was simple- they would travel for a day, and work on capture and interrogation for the next few days, and return as soon as possible. All up, Neji planned to be back in three days- on his birthday.

The only problem was, he realised, that next day was that Tenten was involved- and she was to wear a low cut dress… with her hair unbound.

"So, Neji," Tenten smiled as she twirled around in her dress. "How do I look?"

Neji swallowed, taping his hands with shaking fingers.

"Fine." He said curtly. "Tie up your hair because it'll get in the way."

With a frown, Tenten did as he asked, and left the room without saying another word.

-----x-----

Tenten smiled, slightly bemused, as a man sat in the chair opposite her. She gently stirred the iced tea in her cup and sipped at it slowly, all the while eyeing the man in front of her.

"So… you're a dancer?" The man asked softly, almost purring as he said her name, "Hanako?"

"Yes…" Tenten lowered her eyes, smiling coyly. "It's the greatest thrill of my life… just dancing for an audience of ten thousand people- and knowing that they're all watching you… it's incredibly breathtaking."

Stupid identity profile. Tenten vowed to bust Shikamaru's ass when she got home for creating such a corny character for her.

"Yes… you are," he purred yet again, and Tenten rubbed her neck, smiling yet again, trying to resist the urge to punch him to bits. The slight movement caused her hair piece to fall from her locks, onto the table. Tenten blushed and toyed with it in her fingers.

"So have you ever done any… private performances?" he asked, sly sneaking a hand to her knee beneath the table.

Tenten started, her knee flying up, causing the man's hand to connect solidly with the wood. The jolt went through her elbows, and some tea sloshed out of the glass, onto his shirt.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" Tenten simpered, grabbing a napkin and dabbing it ineffectively at his shirt while ignoring his obvious pain. "I hope you'll let me make it up to you somehow…" she suggested softly, her fingers brushing against the skin on his neck.

"How about I go get some ice for this…" she said, looking like she was thinking, "And you go to your room and change… and I'll come up… and we'll see about this… 'Private performance'," she met his eyes, seeing only lust there, and smiled voraciously. He was hooked.

------x-----

Neji, who had been listening and watching from a few tables away, fumed silently. How dare he make such advances!

Tenten was _his _team mate- and _he _would do everything to save her honour from men like him!

He watched as Tenten left the room, her hair rippling down her back like silk… down to her swaying hips wrapped in gold chiffon. Not that he liked watching her hips, of course; he was just checking for her well being after that _man _molested her!

The anger kept bubbling up as he followed the man up to his room. He waited ten minutes before knocking lightly on the door, and the main naively opened it without checking who it was.

He literally did not know what had hit him. It was Neji's chakra engulfed hand, of course, damaging all of his internal organs, but seeing as he passed out after the first hit to the heart, it didn't really matter.

Tenten appeared in the doorway behind him, and he turned, blinded by the sudden lights that clicked on.

Her hands rested upon those graceful hips of hers, and her hair was pooling over her shoulder, her eyes angry and her mouth set in a line as her head tilted to the side, analysing the events that had conspired in her absence.

"I thought the point was to interrogate him here- not almost annihilate him and drag him back to Konoha tomorrow." She said, sounding annoyed.

She tied him up to a chair with brisk knots, and they left him in the room, locking it as they left for the room that they shared; right across the hall.

"Why did you do it?" she asked, watching his movements intently.

"do what?" Neji asked, feigning innocence.

Tenten sighed.

"You almost killed that man in there," she said softly, sitting rigidly on the bed.

"He touched you!" Neji protested, much to his dismay.

"Thank you, but I don't need to be rescued. I'm a shinobi, remember?" Tenten looked at him with an unreadable look in her eyes. "But it was only natural- he saw me, desired me… and, well, believed he could have me."

"But he can't!" Neji snapped.

"Neji," Tenten said, standing up. "What is this really about? Is there something wrong with you?" she placed her hand on his forehead, checking for fever, but found nothing.

"It's about men who always stare at you, drooling after you like animals- and you let them do that?" Neji asked angrily. Tenten stepped back, glaring.

"I can't stop them, even if they do!" Tenten shouted back. "Stop acting like I'm yours to be rescued and protected!"

Silence fell, and Neji scowled.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly, admitting defeat.

Tenten tried to hide her smile.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I acted out of line, and I shouldn't have. I know you are your own person… it's just that…"

"It's just that what?" Tenten asked, stepping closer to him again.

"Well…" Neji looked away from her, and her face fell. He turned away, and she sat back on the bed, feeling dejected.

Needless to say, however, she received the shock of her life when Neji came back to her and kissed her, right on the lips, sending shivers shooting down her spine to her fingertips and toes.

------x------

The next morning, Neji woke to find Tenten lying on his chest, her amber eyes open as she watched him.

She kissed his lips.

Smiled.

Sighed.

"Happy birthday, Neji." She said happily, kissing him once again. Somewhere inside the corner of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder what Shizune had told him… but whatever she had done, it worked.


End file.
